Renewed resolve is the defensive mindset Ohio State intends to take to Miami University tonight for the first of two games to close out the regular season headed toward the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.

Why that resolve suddenly dissolved last week in consecutive losses to Michigan is somewhat of a mystery to the Buckeyes. It became the focal point of preparations for Miami (21-8-5, 16-6-4-4), the top team in the CCHA. Ohio State (13-14-7, 12-9-5-1), tied for fourth with Ferris State, is striving to gain home ice for the best-of-three playoff series against Ferris State in two weeks.

“That was a disappointing weekend for our defensive effort,” freshman defenseman Sam Jardine said. “I don’t know the statistics, but probably the last time we let in (11) goals in a weekend couldn’t have been any time recently. … For the better part of a year, we’ve really taken pride in our goals-against (average).”

It had been 2.2 going into last week, tied for eighth in the nation, but that average rose to 2.41 after losses of 5-3 and 6-3 to Michigan.

Now Ohio State takes on Miami, which leads the country with a 1.56 goals-against average. If the Buckeyes can get back to “Ohio State hockey,” as coach Mark Osiecki likes to call it, the next two games could be grinders. History tells the Buckeyes that much.

“It’s really tight, defensive games with them,” forward Tanner Fritz said. “One or two goals can win the game.”

Osiecki and his coaching staff made the point all week that the Buckeyes got away from the tight, helping defense to which goaltender Brady Hjelle was accustomed.

When Osiecki pulled Hjelle in the third period of the Saturday loss to Michigan, the coach said it wasn’t to show him up but to relieve him. The players got the message and might be in better position to do something about it with the anticipated return of defenseman Curtis Gedig, who was out last week because of an undisclosed ailment.

“We know to be successful, it’s somewhere around the three goals-against maximum,” Jardine said.

On the bouncy Value City Arena ice last weekend, the Buckeyes often had trouble pitching loose pucks back toward the neutral zone. They also occasionally lost track of attackers, something they can’t afford to do against Miami.

“It was team breakdowns,” Fritz said. “If you watch all the goals (Michigan scored), we pretty much just gave them to them. They did play really hard, (but) we just kind of gave them those goals. That can’t happen.”

And when the Buckeyes pointed the finger of blame for the defensive failures, Fritz said, it wasn’t just at the defensemen.

“Breakdowns can happen from the offensive end and go all the way back to the defensive end,” Fritz said. “It’ a team thing, it’s a team game.”